shannon.odonnell wrote:
I can't even begin to tell you how much this fries my bacon. Words fail
me. I think I'll drive a truck for a living, at least that's one
industry that will stay in America.
http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/19769.wss
I don't see the problem.
1) It _IS_ "INTERNATIONAL Business Machines". Do you know how long
it's been that way?
2) When IBM opened Hursley (or dozens of other large sites around
the world), who complained?
3) China/India = 40% of the world. U.S.A. = 5%. Where is future growth?
4) Who wants an IBM that instead takes the opposite course and
starts getting steadily weaker?
5) Who knows if IBM makes more money from the U.S.A. or the rest of
the world? (I can give a hint if anybody needs one.)
Thoughts to ponder...
IBM sold their PC business to China -- Lenovo. Interestingly, they
simultaneously acquired a good sized chunk of Lenovo stock _and_
managed to set things up so that the new company's headquarters are
in New York, not coincidentally in reasonably close proximity to
Armonk. There was speculation that the price was too low, BUT...
IBM now has a serious foothold towards obtaining a solid corporate
presence in China. That's no trivial feat even for a company the
size of IBM.
Further, the sale of the PC business pretty much severed a not
unimportant contractual obligation between IBM and Intel. With that
contract now pawned off to "Lenovo", IBM has far more freedom to do
some very interesting future development of PowerPC processors as
well as has considerable freedom on how it may package those
processors in products. (I expect some major advances in coming years.)
Since PowerPC is extremely important for the long-term future of
System i programmers, I think we should consider the possibility
that IBM has a decent idea of what steps it should take to ensure
good times ahead.
China/India is a _huge_ market opportunity. If any of us have large
retirement stock holdings in companies that are _not_ going after
that market, I suggest converting the stock towards a company that
is. Might as well start dividends flowing back into the U.S.A. and
help reverse the trend that's been going the other way far too long.
At least, that's what any good capitalist would do. Are there any
other supporters of capitalism on this list?
Tom Liotta
